We are currently seeking to fill TWO POSTDOC POSITIONS in our lab, the Community Ecology & Conservation Group, at Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences. The research considers the importance of small forest fragments in long-term resilience of vertebrate-dispersed tree species in a tropical forest landscape, Xishuangbanna, Southwest China, for which we have just received significant research grant support.


Project Background
Most forest fragments are small, and there is an ongoing debate as to whether they can sustain local sub-populations of trees, and whether they can contribute to species population stability in the landscape, by providing stepping stones between larger fragments. The problem is made more complex by the fact that vertebrate-dispersed tree species depend on vertebrates of different sizes. Large vertebrate-dispersed species are considered to be especially vulnerable because hunting has extirpated or suppressed their dominant dispersers, and the ability of secondary dispersers to functionally replace them is unclear.

In this study, we seek to understand the fate of several tree species with different vertebrate-dispersal modes in small fragments that lie between larger fragments. We are already using disperser assessments and seed fate analyses to understand recruitment success of the tree species in each fragment.


We are now seeking candidates to:
(1) run population genetics analyses in the fragments to understand the genetic health of the sub-populations and whether genetic exchange between fragments still contributes to genetic diversity in new recruits.
(2) record population dynamics of all size classes of trees in the fragments, and integrate the population genetics work and the juvenile recruitment work to understand long-term fate of the tree species using integral projection modelling techniques.

Fully trained support staff are on hand in the research group to aid with fieldwork.

Postdocs receive an annual salary (gross) of at least 200,000 RMB, with annual increments possible, subject to satisfactory progress. Accommodation is provided by the institute for a very nominal fee.

Applicants should have relevant educational experience, in either forest ecology, population genetics, or systems modelling. They should also be in good physical condition as the forest fragment terrain is variable. Candidates who pass initial assessment by the PI will need to pass an online panel interview before formal approval by the institute.

Expressions of interest, should be emailed to Professor Kyle Tomlinson (kyle.tomlinson@xtbg.org.cn), and should include an indication of which research topics you are interested in applying for, what relevant experience you have to support your application, and a full CV to back the expression of interest.

More information about the research group can be found at: https://communityecologyconservation.com/

Yang, J., Fan, H., He, Y., Wang, G., Cao, M. and Swenson, N.G., (2024). Functional genomics and co‐occurrence in a diverse tropical tree genus: The roles of drought‐and defence‐related genes. Journal of Ecology. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2745.14255

Abstract

1. Tropical tree communities are among the most diverse in the world. A small number of genera often disproportionately contribute to this diversity. How so many species from a single genus can co-occur represents a major outstanding question in biology. Niche differences are likely to play a major role in promoting congeneric diversity, but the mechanisms of interest are often not well-characterized by the set of functional traits generally measured by ecologists.
2. To address this knowledge gap, we used a functional genomic approach to investigate the mechanisms of co-occurrence in the hyper-diverse genus Ficus. Our study focused on over 800 genes related to drought and defence, providing detailed information on how these genes may contribute to the diversity of Ficus species.
3. We find widespread and consistent evidence of the importance of defence gene dissimilarity in co-occurring species, providing genetic support for what would be expected under the Janzen-Connell mechanism. We also find that drought-related gene sequence similarity is related to Ficus co-occurrence, indicating that similar responses to drought promote co-occurrence.
4. Synthesis. We provide the first detailed functional genomic evidence of how drought- and defence-related genes simultaneously contribute to the local co-occurrence in a hyper-diverse genus. Our results demonstrate the potential of community transcriptomics to identify the drivers of species co-occurrence in hyper-diverse tropical tree genera.

For more details on papers published from this group, click here.